The last couple of weeks have seen former NSW Roads and Freight Minister Duncan Gay back in the news. The spotlight has returned to Duncan over a year after he stepped away from politics and 18 months after his term as NSW Roads and Freight Minister ended in the NSW Government reshuffle after Gladys Berejiklian took over as Premier of the State.
Here is Melinda Pavey laying out the road safety agenda for New South Wales in the next few years. Her job title is quite a long one, NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight. In fact, as she introduces herself and gives us her title, this is the only time she mentions ‘freight’. Read more
This week in Diesel News, Routes Opening to PBS, Start Date for New Laws, Fatigue Exemption and RFNSW on Safety and CoR.
PBS port access improves
The New South Wales road network is now open for Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 2B container operators to apply for access permits to transport containers in and out of Port Botany. Read more
It’s all happening in the trucking industry this week, there’s the West Gate Tunnel, Tax Fight, Bulk Tippers and Aldi, all getting a run in Diesel News.
A requirement for the operator of the proposed West Gate Tunnel to offer financial incentives and discounts for freight operators that use the new connection is expected to encourage heavy vehicles to use the road, creating productivity improvements for operators and amenity gains for residents of Melbourne’s inner west.
Luke Donnellan, Victorian Roads Minister, announced the Victorian Government will provide further incentives for the transport and logistics industry to use the West Gate Tunnel when the road is built, in the form of discounted shuttle rates, caps on maximum daily tolls for trucks making multiple trips through the tunnel, and night-time discounts. Read more
Among the stories doing the rounds on Diesel News this week have been Linfox Awards, Port Rail Shuttle, PBS Trial and Driver Expenses, plus TruckSafe, Port Botany and the Grain Harvest Scheme.
Among the topics in the news this week from Diesel News are ESC, PBS, Linfox, Truck Classes and Roller Brake Testing.
The Australian Government should require new trucks and trailers to be fitted with stability control technology and should do it fast, according to the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA).
Geoff Crouch, ATA Chair, said electronic stability control is a vehicle safety system that monitors the stability and sideways acceleration of a heavy vehicle, and kicks in to brake the vehicle if it detects a rollover starting. Read more
The last week in trucking has seen Brake Testing, B-Triples, Fatigue, Bridges and the Return of the Self Clearing Defect make an appearance.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has reintroduced the self-clearing defect notice for heavy-vehicle defects that do not pose a safety risk.
“This category will allow minor non-safety-related defects to be rectified by the operator, including where a vehicle’s number plate is obscured or illegible,” said Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO. “A self-clearing defect notice means the operator does not have to present the vehicle to an approved person to clear the notice. Read more
A news story this week about trucking operators dropping trailers in Wagga is one which could be repeated all over the country. The drastic lack of decent and safe facilities where trailers can be left during changeovers is a national problem, illustrated here in a major transport hub.
The story in Wagga’s Daily Advertiser this week tells of local demands in the city for a specialist truck parking bay after locals raised serious safety concerns. According to the story there are no truck parking bays in the city, now trailers are being left in various areas, many in unsuitable locations. Read more
From July 1, the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual (NHVIM) Version 2.1 will be the national standard for heavy vehicle inspections in all participating jurisdictions. For many this will mean some minor adjustments to procedures to ensure trucks comply. Read more
It is another of those unseen problems which keep on creeping up on us. This time it is a change in brake testing rules, which no-one is ready for. Changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator roller brake testing rules will be coming on June 11 and the consequences are far from clear.
What we have is a situation which keeps on popping up with alarming regularity. A rule change which is being used by one part of the way the trucking industry is regulated to cause mischief. Using non-communication in advance of a rule change to cause havoc in the industry, to advance a self serving point of view. Read more